The incandescence and pride of being a Nigerian youth many years ago is somehow obliterated by the perpetuation of evils by our very own elders, some of whom have extolled themselves as elder statesmen. Young men and women across Nigeria have been bequeathed with a sense of social, political and economic insecurity by these same people, and many of us have been indoctrinated into a mirage of hope in an attempt to fight, sometimes violently, the selfish cause of the political elites at the polling booths and beyond. Our unquestionable allegiance to these same elders that have destroyed our land in itself raises concern that change in the political landscape of Nigeria is far from remote.
There is no doubt that there are many Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora who desperately yearn for change. A good example is Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the out-going Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) czar who has essentially been sidelined because of his unreserved determination and avalanche of courage to question the status quo and bring to justice government officials who, with their cronies, have covertly and voraciously raped our economic coffers.
Our President, Musa Yar’Adua has from inception presented himself to Nigerians and the international community as an agent of change, an apostle of hope and democracy, and one who eschews corruption by disclosing his asset voluntarily, followed suit by a number of other important government functionaries appointed by him. However, with the recent development, it appears the EFCC boss has been sent to the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) as a strategic plan to silent and sideline an acclaimed voice for justice in Nigeria. This is amid pleas from the international community, including President George W. Bush to delay the so-called course at the NIPSS.
In spite of his limitations, Mallam Ribadu is one Nigerian that our youth should emulate. Even in the face of enormous difficulties that confront the youth, we can collectively mobilize ourselves as agents of change and help build institutions of democracy devoid of generational corruption that Transparency International and the entire international community have come to associate with the mention of our country. We need to mobilize ourselves beyond the virtual platform of TakingITGlobal.
We need to transform our virtual ideas into sustainable reality. Our problems in Nigeria will not be solved by secession; our problems in Nigeria will not be solved by waving spears and arrows; our problem in Nigeria can only be solved when Nigerians at all social strata embrace the humanity of one another; when Nigerians embrace the spirit of “Live and let live”; the true spirit of egalitarianism. Our problems could be solved through non-violent but persuasive discussions, objective engagement and sustainable diplomacy.
The youth have enormous responsibility in chatting a new cause for Nigeria. In my contacts within and outside Nigeria, there seem to be a growing and continual push for a national youth-initiated agenda and a youth-led coalition that would push for the renaissance that we all aspire to see in our country. There is by all account hundreds of youth-led non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) dotted across the country with fragmented and sometimes easily diluted ambition to single-handedly bring social and economic change.
There is no doubt that one cannot readily discount the contributions of many of these NGO’s, but the reality is that meaningful progress would not be made in transforming the socio-economic and political landscape of Nigeria except these youth organizations come together and develop a strategic national agenda and priority areas that focus on improving the lot of ordinary Nigerians, while building institutions that have democratic legitimacy; institutions that are sustainable for the sake of posterity. There is a growing need for a database of functional youth-led NGO’s, student organizations and other youth organizations to be developed. The aim is to get these NGO’s and organizations actively engaged in the development of a non-partisan national youth conference with the ultimate hope of developing goals, initiatives and strategies aimed at improving the image of our country and securing a future for Nigerians of today and those unborn.
The current situation in Nigeria also challenges the media both print and electronic. The current situation in Nigeria where the media is biased and unwilling to cross muddy waters pinpoint the failures of the media, and highlights the lack of journalistic integrity in contemporary Nigeria. Our media houses and journalists have failed us as gatekeepers and agents of social justice.
There is no doubt that the Nigerian media is recovering from the fear of many years of oppression by previous military dictatorships in which legitimate media houses were closed, journalists perceived as traitors to national security arrested and imprisoned and freedom of the press stifled. Our current political dispensation promises that the media will not be harassed or subdued, so the onus is on our youthful journalists to engross themselves in a more investigative journalism poised at exposing government officials whose nefarious acts of corruption and other social and economic injustices today present a bleak future for Nigerians, born and unborn.
The call for an alliance of all well-meaning youth-led organizations in Nigeria is growing. Together we can achieve more than we can individually. Our goals and aspirations for Nigeria share a common background and rooted in the ideals of peace, progress and prosperity, but our ideas are challenged by the fragmentation of our agenda, coupled with limited human and material resources.
We need to help build a Nigeria where poverty and despair for the majority of our population are challenged with the resources we have; we need to help build a society where our youth are not constantly harassed on arrival at foreign countries because they are by default deemed criminals or flight risks; we need to help build the generation that will build our nation. Our youth could help build sustainable democracy and democratic institutions. The Nigerian youth could foster the election of individuals with democratic legitimacy and shy away from short-term gains and long-term losses involved in supporting individuals with questionable character.
For most of us, our role models are our parents and elders, but unfortunately this generation has for the most part failed us, meaning we have to develop our own model of problem-solving and critical analysis of the contemporary reality facing the youth. We cannot remain complacent of the reality of a typical Nigerian youth who is faced with the quagmire of whether to eat, cloth or find adequate housing. In the land of plenty, in the land blessed with enormous human and material resources, the youth should not be faced with the challenge of sourcing clean water, health care, education and non-existent employment opportunity.
The challenges facing the Nigerian youth and indeed Nigeria is growing, and with crude oil recently reaching the $100 dollar mark in the international market, we need to begin to mobilize ourselves and develop a unified voice that could question the idea of business as usual among our elitist politicians. We need to fight for a safer society that will discourage brain drain and help build sustainable economy and democracy. It is by challenging the status quo that women today are able to vote across many countries; it is by challenging the status quo that racial segregation was ended in America, and it is only by challenging the status quo that change can come to Nigeria. By the youth coming together across Nigeria with a unified but non-violent voice, change could be brought to our beloved country Nigeria, and posterity could be assured of a better future.
« return.